Sarah Jane Adventures - Private Life: Twist of Fate Part One
by lhigginns67
Summary: Another note received by Professor Rivers, along with numerous staff poisonings, summon Sarah Jane and Terry back to the Pharos Institute. Will they finally discover the identity of Willis?
1. Chapter 1

'What does Willis have against you, Professor?'

Rivers, Terry, and Sarah Jane looked at what was yet another note on Rivers' desk.

'_Enjoy the show. Willis.'_

Terry was right. What was so special about Professor Rivers?

'What did the police say about the two staff member's deaths?'

Rivers moved the note to one side, unusually quiet. She produced another note from her drawer.

'_The quicker you snitch, the quicker the rest of the staff meet the same fate. Willis.'_

Oh God, Rivers. Sarah Jane couldn't begin to...

'And it was radiation that killed them, yeah?' asked Terry.

Rivers nodded.

Terry leaned back, stroking his shaved head.

'Oh...Maybe I shouldn't be here, then.'

Sarah Jane looked at him. Terry had been at chemo for the last while, which seemed to be helping him. As much as it could with only months to live.

All three of them were potential targets of Willis. Oh God. What if Willis struck off Terry before the cancer did? Or Rivers - would she be next?

Terry looked at Sarah Jane.

'Or never mind about me,' he said. 'It's a bloody relief you pulled through all those months ago. Marie Bryson would've been beside herself, if you'd kicked it.'

'Indeed,' agreed Rivers.

'It was only my shoulder. For now, it's Professor Rivers we ought to be worrying about.'

The other two nodded.

'If anything else does happen, just let us know,' said Sarah Jane, as she and Terry rose. 'Otherwise, thank you, Professor.'

Rivers stood up, heading for the door.

'Of course.'

The three of them exited into the corridor, and Rivers led them to the front desk, where a woman greeted them, sipping from a water bottle.

'Morning, Professor Rivers. What can I do for you?'

Rivers smiled.

'Morning Trudy. Just before Miss Smith and Mr Stevenson leave, there's a couple of-'

Trudy began to cough. She grabbed the bottle, and chugged down more water. Trudy cleared her throat.

'Sorry about that, Professor,' Trudy said, patting her chest. 'You need a couple of-'

Trudy collapsed, hitting the floor.

'Trudy?'

Sarah Jane and Terry rushed to the woman, while Rivers grabbed the reception phone, and dialled.

'No pulse,' Sarah Jane said, feeling Trudy's arm. 'Oh God, Terry-'

'She's dead,' he said, looking at Rivers, who shared his and Sarah Jane's devastated look. Another innocent life taken.

Rivers placed down the receiver.

Sarah Jane lifted the bottle, unscrewing the lid, to see tiny white particles on the inside.

'Think it was this,' Sarah Jane said, showing the other two.

Terry looked at Rivers.

'If you can't tell anyone, what do we do?'

Sarah Jane replaced the bottle.

'I think...start looking for Willis.'


	2. Chapter 2

'I suppose you won't be doing a story on those deaths at Pharos?'

Sarah Jane shook her head.

'Some things are best left unknown to the public.'

Besides, Sarah Jane would that all three of them lived to tell the tale. Or in Terry's case, as long as he could.

'Should tell my wife about this?'

'About the poisonings?'

Terry shook his head.

'Professor Rivers.'

He didn't have long. What harm could it do?

'Did you tell Barbara about that message from PC Carlson? "Wait and see".'

Terry sighed.

'Don't think she needs anything else to worry about,' he said, motioning to his bald head.

What did that message mean? At a guess, it wasn't those deaths. Something far worse.

If Sarah Jane had never encountered Charley Cassidy that day, would any of this still happened? Perhaps, but maybe wouldn't have played out the same way.

'I can't help wonder,' Sarah Jane began. 'If that meeting with Charley Cassidy was intentional.'

'How did you two meet, again?'

'You know the alien corpse I told you about?'

'Yeah?'

'I had been pursuing it - when it was still alive - and Charley was just...there.'

Terry nodded.

'But,' Sarah Jane continued. 'All the events at the factory, I have a feeling weren't Lance's doing.'

'A set up by Willis?'

'Possibly.'

Sarah Jane didn't blame herself any less for Charley's demise. If they'd never met, Charley would be getting on with her life. Sometimes having an interest in the extraterrestrial was a curse.

Terry smiled for a moment.

'Barbara and I just happened to talking about Charley last night,' he began. 'We knew what she'd been through in her life, in the army, and that.'

'Does she know about what happened at the factory - I mean what _actually_ happened?'

Terry shook his head.

'I'd be wasting my time. Even more sceptic than me, I'm afraid.'

He paused.

'If I told Barbara about any of the stuff about Rivers, Willis would make sure it wasn't a hospital bed she ended up on this time.'

Terry had nothing to lose, but he, Barbara, or Professor Rivers could be next. Sarah Jane herself could be next. But they had to find out who Willis was. Find out who was ruining their lives.

'Maybe I should,' said Terry. 'I could be dead tomorrow. Barbara would understand.'

Journalism was all about taking risks. Maybe Willis would finally show up. It was a huge gamble, but maybe, just maybe, it would work.

'How about dinner?' Sarah Jane said. 'The three of us, a restaurant. 'Thus far, open space certainly hasn't concerned Willis.'

Terry paused.

'All right. All right.'


	3. Chapter 3

'Think we'll be lucky if we get on to the main course.'

Sarah Jane, Terry, and Barbara glanced around the many other customers.

'Don't think I'm particularly hungry, to be honest,' said Terry. 'I haven't really eaten properly since Barbara's attack.'

Sarah Jane nodded. Willis likely knew that they were here. Planning their next move. God, what had this poor man - soon to succumb to cancer - and his wife, done to be on the receiving end of Willis' vendetta? What had Professor Rivers done?

'Neither of us have had a decent night's sleep, either,' said Barbara. 'God, it's horrible.'

Sarah Jane briefly looked at the menu. She didn't feel particularly peckish, either.

'Why don't we talk about Charley for bit? She seemed to mean a lot to you both.'

Terry nodded.

'Full of stories - usually from her time in the army,' he said. 'I think she'd just been discharged when she applied to work in my shop.'

'Lovely woman. Invited her round a few times, but bless her, she always declined,' Barbara said. 'Preferred her own company, I suppose. No partner, or anything.'

Sarah Jane nodded. A bit like herself.

'She'd ambitions of being a writer,' continued Terry. 'God, she could've been the next Stephen King.'

'Not a journalist, or such?'

Terry shook his head.

'Perhaps she could've been that, though, for her curiosity did sometimes get the better of her.'

That explained her finding the alien corpse.

'It's a horrible shame that Willis put an end to that,' Sarah Jane said.

Terry and Barbara nodded, heads bowed.

'What about Professor Rivers?' Terry asked, looking at Sarah Jane.

'Is she going to die?'

Now since her name had been mentioned, it was quite possible. Willis probably wanted Terry to utter the Professor's name. A bombing, or another poisoning - were they around the corner?

'I don't know. I hope not.'

Sarah Jane looked at Barbara, who was looking a little confused.

'If Terry hasn't mentioned Professor Rivers to you before, she's a good friend of mine. Along with you two and myself, her life has been put in terrible danger by Willis.'

Terry bowed his head again.

'If I had mentioned it before now,' he said, his voice quiet. 'She'd be...'

Barbara put her arm around him, in her best effort to comfort her husband. She looked at Sarah Jane.

'I understand.'

Sarah Jane nodded. She endeavoured not to say Rivers aloud again. Perhaps-

'Excuse me?'

They looked up at the waiter before their table, holding a small plate with a lid.

'With compliments,' he said, and left.

The three of them looked at it.

Sarah Jane gradually stretched out her hand, and removed the lid.

A picture of a skull and crossbones.

Oh God.


	4. Chapter 4

'Three more died yesterday.'

Terry, Sarah Jane, and Professor Rivers sat at her desk.

'Two of rat poisoning, the other radiation, again.'

Sarah Jane placed the skull and crossbones drawing on the desk.

'Just last night, when we were out. Don't think it's to do with any of the staff deaths, though.'

'One of us,' Terry said. 'Probably me, I'm not worth saving.'

Rivers looked at him.

'How far among is your cancer now, Mr Stevenson?'

Terry sighed.

'They'll tell me later, I'm sure. Chemo's going all right.'

Rivers nodded.

'I know I'm probably not in a position to say this,' she began. 'But, Maybe it's time the public knew about these deaths.'

Sarah Jane sat up, exchanging looks with Terry.

'Why?'

'I think it was only a matter of time, Miss Smith.'

Any of them could die. None of them deserved to. Especially Professor Rivers and Terry. They couldn't risk it. They-

'Are you sure?' Terry asked, sharing Sarah Jane's expression of worry.

'I'll have the report updated and written up for tonight. I'll give you a bell.'

Sarah Jane and Terry exchanged looks again. Sarah Jane hesitated.

'Okay.'

Sarah Jane looked at her computer screen. A blank screen, which would probably remain. She couldn't do this. She just couldn't. Terry entered.

'I'll try to be back as soon as I can, if the traffic doesn't turn into bedlam.'

Sarah Jane sighed, then turned.

'Let me know how it goes, on our way to the Pharos Institute later.'

Terry managed a half-smile.

'Sure,' he said, and left.

Sarah Jane turned to the screen. And stared. She just couldn't do it.

It was a risk Sarah Jane wished Rivers hadn't taken. She gripped the wheel, as they grew closer and closer to the institute. Had any more staff members suffered? Sarah Jane just could not bear the thought.

'About half an hour after you'd gone, she said eight,' she said, as they entered the car park. 'She sounded fairly confident.'

Terry nodded, and they climbed out.

The main corridor was vaguely lit, but for the Pharos Institute at this time, it wasn't unusual. No security, though. After what felt like forever and a bit, they approached Rivers' office.

Sarah Jane knocked the door.

'Professor?'

No answer.

She opened the door, and they entered.

'Professor!'

They hurried to the woman on the floor. Sarah Jane knelt down beside Rivers, her chest saturated with blood, and her breathing heavy. Sarah Jane scrambled for her phone, and passed it to Terry.

'Call an ambulance!'

Terry dialled.

She turned to Rivers.

'Celeste, can you hear me? Celeste?'

'Willis...Willis...'

Sarah Jane fought back tears. Rivers whimpered.

'Willis - w-w-where's Willis now?'

Yes, it was an irrational thing to ask, but the last thing Sarah Jane could do was think straight.

'Greetings.'

Sarah Jane froze, then turned.

Terry stood, the mobile in one hand, a gun in the other.

He placed the mobile in his pocket.

'Now, the-'

SLICE!

Sarah Jane recoiled, as a long blade slid out from Terry's throat, and he slumped to the floor.

Barbara grinned, clutching a bloodied knife.

'Hello there.'

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
